Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,555 complaints for BMW
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was stopped at a red light behind a car. My cruise was disengaged after the car stopped and my foot was on the brake. Suddenly, the car lurched forward on its own and only stopped when I pressed hard on the brake and moved transmission from drive to park.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was stopped at a red light behind a car. My cruise was disengaged after the car stopped and my foot was on the brake. Suddenly, the car lurched forward on its own and only stopped when I pressed hard on the brake and moved transmission from drive to park.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
rear view camera image is blank, distorted or inverted on 2014 Ford Taurus. Never know which will happen when car is put into reverse.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
I started having steering issues from the steering wheel being stiff and having to fight against it to keep the car in the lane of traffic. I took the car into the dealership, and the service writer stated he knew exactly what was wrong. He stated it could have gotten dangerous and could lead to a crash. I was charged 4500.00 for an electric power steering rack. After seeing the recent recalls an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
On 3 separate occasions this has occurred . When accelerating, the engine or power train completely loses all propulsion. Twice I was starting a left hand turn and crossing oncoming traffic. On one occasion I was turning right onto a 50 MPH highway and quickly veered off the road onto the berm. The only item on dash board flashing on the third incident was the cruise control preset and it was fl... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
On 3 separate occasions this has occurred . When accelerating, the engine or power train completely loses all propulsion. Twice I was starting a left hand turn and crossing oncoming traffic. On one occasion I was turning right onto a 50 MPH highway and quickly veered off the road onto the berm. The only item on dash board flashing on the third incident was the cruise control preset and it was fl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
Broken- Coolant bypass valve My safety was put at risk as the coolant bypass value broke leaking coolant over my cars electrical components and not keeping my engine cool. This could have resulted in my engine, overheating, exploding while operating the car and putting my life at risk. Also “engine maintenance alert” that couldn’t not be dismissed by the driver, obstructed the view of my ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
In the VW ID.4, one can retract the rear-view mirrors, making the car a bit narrower, for example for parking. Multiple times, I have started the car and been unable to extend the rear-view mirrors. Not only can I not use the rear-view mirrors, but also, I am distracted trying to figure out how to make them extend. For example, I turn the switch multiple times and failing that, I LOOK at the sw... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
Bought my vehicle new at 29 miles. At 4k miles my auto braking light would come in as off. Every 2k it would turn itself off, even though I want the feature on. Even though it says it's off there will be times the warning will alert me to brake for no reason and someone's brake for no reason. I've gone to the dealer multiple times and they wouldn't find a code or a reason why it was doing that, an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
When I put the car in Reverse, the display screen remains blank, sometimes it flickers on and off, and sometimes it just states "no video detected". I have replaced the core and the monitor, which only leaves the camera itself. This is a hazard to not be able to see what is behind me. I have many more receipts for this repair if needed.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
Push/Start button has intermittent episodes of not starting the vehicle. Throughout all of Honda's models, this is a wide spread and known entity. The manufacturer has had recalls up to a certain date for this problem. Now they claim ignorance for this known malfunctioning part. I presume to save money and have consumers pay hundreds of dollars for a known but denied by Honda.... problem !!!
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
Push/Start button has intermittent episodes of not starting the vehicle. Throughout all of Honda's models, this is a wide spread and known entity. The manufacturer has had recalls up to a certain date for this problem. Now they claim ignorance for this known malfunctioning part. I presume to save money and have consumers pay hundreds of dollars for a known but denied by Honda.... problem !!!
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
My family's 2017 Honda CR-V has been experiencing a persistent issue where multiple dashboard warning lights—such as lane mitigation, brake, ABS, check engine, check brakes, TPMS, and traction control—consistently appear whenever the vehicle is started. Initially intermittent, these alerts are now continuous, directly impacting the car's safety, particularly with traction control entirely disa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
Two things: my auto start/stop often shuts off, and the display reads: "Auto stop/start is disabled/hood open," though it's not. I also often get a "Service Stop/Start system" notification and the car will require a restart before it will allow me to shift it back into gear and turn off parking brake.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2024
While driving out of a parking lot, my power steering stopped working and I had to regain control to manually steer the vehicle. After stopping and turning off the engine to check the serpentine belt, the power steering came back on, but the lane departure assist function was no longer working. It appears to be the same problem that some of the 2015 and other GMC Canyon models had. Took it to my G... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
Rear lower control replaced on recall repair. Dealer diagnosed front control arm needed repair but refuse to complete repair. I paid out of pocket for front. When both front and rear control arm should have been replace under recall
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
BMW replaced the brake system twice to fix the brake failure issues we had on our 2024 BMW X7. When we brought our vehicle in for the 1st brake system replacement in June 2024 at 12,000 miles, the dealership inspected tire tread depth and all tires are in green. When we brought our vehicle in for the 2nd brake system replacement in September 2024 at 15,000 miles, both rear tires tread depth became... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
On Sept 25, 2024, my car completely turned off as I was pulling out from a side road to cross a 4 lane road. Fortunately, it was mid-morning and no cars were coming. I was able to coast to the far ride lane and put hazard lights on. A light came on--a gas can with something dripping from it and possibly some other lights. It was extremely scary and happened with no warning whatsoever. It could hav... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
I purchased my 2023 Arcadia FFWD SLT a few months ago used with 11,000 miles. During the past few months I have noticed when reaching a speed of 45-60 mph the vehicle vibrates. I took the vehicle to the dealership on 10-10-24 and they said they could not find anything but they did not do an intensive problem search. I am concerned the problem may be related to a transmission recall dated 6/23. ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
The contact's cousin owns a 2018 Ford Edge. While the contact's cousin was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test determined that there was coolant intrusion into engine cylinder #4, which caused the engine long block to crack. The vehicle was repaired by the dealer. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
A complete loss of power steering assist occurred while driving and has not returned. Vehicle can no longer be driven, unsafe to drive. Without power assist the front wheels are extremely difficult to turn. This is the second time this has happen to me, first time the electronic steering rack needed to be replaced and was not covered by any warranty or recall. This is now the second failure on my ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
There is a recall on the connector for the year of my vehicle and the BMW Sewell Plano dealership is trying to charge me for the service and repairs. They will not honor the recall.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
When trying to accelerate from a stop either in an intersection or from a driveway the vehicle takes a long moment before it responds... leaving my family vulnerable to cars coming from the opposite direction. I think it's the transmission but it could have to do with the fuel intake... it has been ongoing for months and months. The dealer has attempted to rectify but to not avail....very dangerou... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
When trying to accelerate from a stop either in an intersection or from a driveway the vehicle takes a long moment before it responds... leaving my family vulnerable to cars coming from the opposite direction. I think it's the transmission but it could have to do with the fuel intake... it has been ongoing for months and months. The dealer has attempted to rectify but to not avail....very dangerou... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
20k miles??? I haven't even driven 5k miles and according to my vehicle service rep at the dealership all tires are defective as the belt has shifted in them and it's like pulling teeth trying to rectify the issue between the distributor and manufacturer all 4 tires are bad as 1 had to be replaced and the remaining has been inspected by a certified dealer again, the front tires 245/35zr20 and the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
Transmission failed on the highway with no prior signs...check engine light came up and the car would not go to higher gears and RPM was high and loud that i had to pull off the road onto gravel.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
Road departure mitigation cruise control collision mitigation emission systems not working when I drive my car it stalled
Incident date: Jul 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The power train warning light was illuminated. The speedometer fell to 0 MPH. Additionally, the contact stated while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and hesitated while responding. The contact stated that t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel malfunctioned and failed to immediately respond while turning the in either direction while attempting to switch lanes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed a steering module software update, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to park in a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The brake pedal was violently depressed however the vehicle continued to accelerate. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hit a curb in a landscaping zone and crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not de... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to park in a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The brake pedal was violently depressed however the vehicle continued to accelerate. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hit a curb in a landscaping zone and crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not de... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality and excessive effort was needed to turn the steering wheel. The "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective power steering column. The contact was informed that the ste... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X6. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The con... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The steering sticks when driving, particularly at highway speeds. Steering corrections are slow and difficult and cause over correction with potential loss of vehicle control.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while attempting to drive out of a parking space, the message "Power Assist Failure" was displayed, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) needed to be reprogrammed, and the steering rack needed to be replaced. T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X6. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The contact called on behalf of her son who owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started slowing down independently and was shaking abnormally. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact continued driving to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was inf... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, the driver’s side doors failed to latch closed. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to get another driver’s attention, he became aware that the horn was not functioning as needed. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regula... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2021
225/45r17 Dry rot on all four tires less than three years old - and actually used for fewer than 18 months as alternated with winter tires - crack runs entire circumference of tire - deep - at joining of sidewall to tread. Nokian has said that this is “cosmetic sidewall cracking” - there is nothing cosmetic about it and each tire dealer I have visited reports that the tires are unsafe and ne... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
car shake when switch from EV to gas. Found out the fuel injectors is bad. I replace fuel injectors, now the car is fine. Car has 50,000 miles.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The indirect measurement TPMS system of this car has misdetected low tire pressure on three occasions. Most recently, on October 3 while driving on the freeway at about 70 MPH the TPMS alert illuminated. I checked the information screen and the display showed low pressure in all four tires. Because I have had misdetection of the right front tire twice before, and that it seemed very unlikely that ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2022
With less than 2,000-miles on the vehicle, the second-row driver's side seatbelt came unfastened from the lower anchor point of the vehicle. There was no indication that this would be an issue until a passenger sat in the seat and tried to buckle up, only to find the seat belt was hanging loose. Fortunately there was no injury associated to this failure but it is concerning as a critical safety de... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The vehicle had been almost overheating and warning lights to shut off engine would kick on. I took it to my mechanic and was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced or rebuilt. I was informed that Ford Company is fully aware that that the transmission in the Ford Escape is an ongoing problem. Why has the NHTSA not required a recall? This is not fair to consumers, and the work/part... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
rccd email. nhsta david chin on 04 envoy vin and smog cali fraud.. ended case sold vehicle to pick a part. did not sur dealer. purchased 1 month later Carmax Ontario california 2019 subaru outback. nhsta states moonroof and pedestrian braking for ev and hybrid u5 engine. this outback has no moonroof nor is it an ev or hybrid. owned by enterprise rent a car and subaru santa monica prior as grey in ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
2016 Ford Edge Titanium with 58800miles, brought to Ford Dealership with check engine light on, diagnosed with blown cylinders/engine failure, requiring engine replacement. Replacement quote is $9900. Out of warranty, no customer support assistance, less than 60000miles. Known engine issues with 2.0 Ecoboost by Ford, but no recall.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
I received recall notice for 24V-554 on 9/22/2024. The recall notice informs that Tesla will resolve the recall safety defect by over-the-air update via the car's WIFI capabilities. I have informed Tesla that my car's WIFI capabilities are broken and I scheduled service for October 3rd. Tesla informed that parts for my vehicle are not yet ready and rescheduled my service for October 24th. I info... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The vehicle shutters and has stalled while trying to cross an intersection, almost causing an accident while my children were in the car. It will shutter at take off from a complete stop and will randomly change gears while driving at a constant speed on a level road. When it stalls the wheel locks up as well preventing you from steering off the road and to safety
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
Purchased this 2024 BMW X7M60I in March 23, since day 1 of ownership and with 100 miles on the dash the car has had massive breaking, electrical, and engine issues. Almost every safty light on the dash comes on or is always on. Car was taken to Centry West BMW over many times and many months/years. Previous to this new recall dated Feb 24 they replaced the IBC and DSC and the whole brake booster a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
Been complaining about his front steering key suspension since 2020 about rattling and squeaking whenever customer turn in the wheel
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
Been complaining about his front steering key suspension since 2020 about rattling and squeaking whenever customer turn in the wheel